A Giant Tuesday
By author
Good morning, a happy Giant Tuesday to you all…
Slow news day in Giants land as much of the media attention, and rightfully so, has been focused on the Times Square attempted bombing incident this past weekend. Authorities have arrested Faisal Shahzad, in connection with the failed attack. When we talk about Giants defense and returning to form, a nice little parallel line gets drawn in the sand and makes me think we as a people and nation have to continue to play defense, defense of our own country, our people, our way of life, of human rights, of illegal immigration policies which promote hate and encourage racially-motivated actions, defense of religion, parental rights, freedom of sexuality etc…
A blurred line for sure. Football is the great American game (my apologies to baseball on this one, perhaps if the Mets has not collapsed in the manner they did in September of 2009 I might feel different), but the National Football League and its global impact continue to grow. The NFL could justifiably be referred to as the National Obsession League, or NOL. We are obsessed, which is okay, obsessed with draft day (or starting this year, draft days); we are obsessed with the stroke of midnight on March 1, 2010 when free agency begins.
What does the start of free agency on March 2, 2010 and the NFL Draft have in common (besides the obvious, i.e., we don’t do much work, even if we are in the office working, and instead check for constant updates on player movement and which guy might slide to where your team is picking in Round 1)? Both offer hope because football offers hope. America also offers hope. Hope that we can do better, hope that we can care for the injured, that we can cure more diseases and treat more patients, that we can influence other nations to promote equality and human rights and ethical treatment of animals, hope that we can protect our people and all people from acts of terrorism, hate speech, and the continued and increasing hostility aimed at our nation and our people.
Faisal Shahzad. I remember distinctly thinking after September 11, 2001, can we play football? Is it okay to watch football with a group of friends? When we have an unseen but conniving enemy full of hate, somewhere plotting and thinking about how to harm us? The answer is yes, it is okay to watch football, it is okay to obsess about whether Jerry Reese has done enough to fill the hole at the middle linebacker position, it is okay to wonder whether JPP is more bust than boom, whether an interior lineman should have been the pick. These are the things that make us enviable, we do not stop our lives because of Faisal Shahzad, we pull ourselves up and promote the things we love, yes, including football. Stay Blue!